Many types of food are stored in cans that allow it to be stored for a relatively long period of time. The storage of food in cans prevents oxygen from coming in contact with the food, thus avoiding spoiling of the food by the action of bacteria and thus postponing its expiration date. Over the years, the use of cans for food storage has increased, since the prolongation of shelf life is very desirable for both manufacturers and buyers.
The containers are usually filled with liquid, suitable to preserve the food, such as oil, vinegar, or any other liquid that maintains the freshness of the stored food. Food-preserving additives may also be dissolved in the liquid.
When opening liquid-comprising cans, it is sometime difficult to separate the liquid from the stored food, especially when the food is of small dimensions, for example, if the food is corn seeds, they can be accidentally spilled when pouring the liquid out of the can, and if the liquid is not poured out, it can be unhygienic and inconvenient to reach the stored food.
According to the prior art, there are can strainers that are used for the purpose of draining liquids, but they present problematic designs that do not provide a convenient use of the device. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,721 describes a food can strainer installed within a can, comprising a substantially planar structure, having holes spaced over substantially the entire planar surface. Using a planar surface may be appropriate for the sole purpose of draining liquids, but it is rather inconvenient when trying to remove the strainer from a can to get to the food stored therein.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device suitable to be used to drain liquids from food cans, or from any other liquid-comprising containers.
It is another object of the invention to provide a strainer that is structurally suitable to be easily pulled out of a can or any other container.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.